


Return to the Sea

by dragonVengeance12



Series: Land and Sea [2]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - The Little Mermaid Fusion, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:21:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25117573
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonVengeance12/pseuds/dragonVengeance12
Summary: A few of years after the events of Out of the Sea, Hiccup and Astrid have a lovely daughter named Melody, but what should have been a cause for celebration turns into a nightmare as pasts are dredged up, spelling trouble for the merpeople and Berytheas.
Series: Land and Sea [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1668130





	1. Down to the Sea

The sun was rising on the Isle of Berk. A terrible terror was soaring through the clouds in search of his morning meal when he heard the soft sounds of music in the distance. It was a male voice singing sweetly, the notes floating calmly and beautifully in the air.

Getting more curious by the second, the terror flew down toward the sound of the voice and spotted a ship in the middle of the ocean. It landed on the window sill to look inside. The singer was a young man, thin but tall with auburn hair. He wore a green tunic under a thick fur cloak and a crown sat atop his head. 

Hiccup paid no attention to the green terrible terror but to the small bundle in the crib reaching up toward him and giggling. The King beamed down at the babe as he picked her up gently, the little girl, with bright blue eyes just like her mother’s, stretching her tiny hands up as if to grasp the plastic stars hanging from the mobile above her crib. He held her close to his chest as he spun her around, his daughter, his firstborn child, his world. He smiled brightly as his heart swelled at the sight of her, the lyrics to his wordless melody coming to him.

“ _You are my world my darling_ _  
__What a wonderful world I see_ _  
__You are the song I’m singing_ _  
__You’re my beautiful Melody!_ ”

He sang her name as the waves crashed against the rocks outside. The door to the room burst open and Astrid walked in, an amused smile playing on her lips. “ _Hiccup, we better be going._ ”

“ _Look at her, isn’t she glowing?_ ” he asked, his eyes not leaving Melody’s face as his wife went to embrace them.

“ _She looks divine, and you look exquisite, but look at the time,_ ” she reminded her husband, guiding him to the door.

“ _It couldn’t be, is it?_ ” he sang, excitement in his eyes

“ _The crew is awaiting your orders,_ ” Gobber said from outside the open door.

“ _We’re sailing away from our borders,_ ” Fishlegs sand at the helm.

“ _Steady boy steady._ ” “ _Ahoy there, they’re coming!_ ” The twins sang.

“ _Trumpeters ready. Drummers start drumming!_ ” Gobber ordered, clapping his hands together as the musicians started playing.

Hiccup grinned and nodded at the blacksmith while Melody cooed happily in his arms. As he and Astrid descended down the stairs, the people who came with them smiled up at the happy family.

“ _Down to the sea we go_ _  
__Down to a world I know_ _  
__There’s never been, not ever before_ _  
__A child born of sea and shore._ ”

Astrid smiled at him and her daughter as she and the rest joined him in song.

“ _Down to the sea we go_ _  
__Down to the world below_ _  
__A journey to bless a princess-to-be_ _  
__Under the sun and under the sea_ ”

As the boat drew nearer to the middle of the ocean, another terrible terror perked up at the singing and looked at the celebration. He squeaked with excitement and dove under the water to alert everyone else. As soon as his snout hit the ocean surface, he beelined to a sleeping turtle and knocked on its shell. “ _Hiccup is coming._ ” “ _Hiccup is coming?_ ” the turtle said, as the terror moved on.

“ _Hiccup is coming,_ ” he said to a trio of fish and they started whispering amongst themselves.

“ _Hiccup is coming,_ ” he shouted to anyone else who could hear and the sea echoed back to him. As he swam towards the kingdom, Snotlout looked up next to his dragon Hookfang as the news reached his ears. This was wonderful news as he couldn’t wait to see his cousin again, so wonderful that he couldn’t help but break out into song.

“ _What’s all the big commotion_ _  
__That’s spreading through the ocean_ _  
__From sea to shining sea?_

 _There is no hesitating_ _  
_ Today we’re celebrating _  
__Hiccup’s Melody!_ ”

He couldn’t help the bounce in his strokes as he swam faster and faster to tell the king. Even Hookfang was having trouble keeping up.

“ _Today when Stoick’s own son_ _  
__Comes back here to the ocean_ _  
__We’re gonna have a spree!_

 _The boat is nearer now_ _  
__I think I hear her now_ _  
__Hiccup’s Melody._ ”

Snotlout rounded the corner and saw Heather floating in front of the throne room doors, deep in thought. Once she saw him though, she squealed in delight and, without a word to her cousin, took off to tell her father, not that Snotlout minded since as soon as he knew Heather saw him, he jumped on Hookfang and they swam to the surface to greet the humans.

Other merpeople were making their way to the surface with smiles on their faces and the song in their hearts, thrilled about the arrival of their prince and his heir.

“ _Up from the sea we rise_ _  
_ _Up to the world of skies_ _  
_ _There’s never been, not ever before_ _  
_ _A child born of sea and shore._ ”

One by one, merpeople, dragons, and ocean creatures alike broke the surface of the water where a boat was bobbing idly on the waves. Hiccup, Astrid, and Stormfly stood by the railing, waiting patiently and taking in this joyous occasion. Hiccup looked around at the familiar faces and waved down at his family. A short distance away, he saw Toothless, his cousin, sister, and their dragons emerge from the water and waving energetically at him and the bundle in his arms as they continued to sing.

“ _Up from the sea we rise_ _  
_ _Up to the world of skies_ _  
_ _Forever to be together as one_ _  
_ _Under the sea and under the sun._ ”

Hiccup stepped forward with his daughter in his arms and looked around at the citizens of Berytheas who gathered there while his human friends looked on in awe. Two worlds united as one almost brought tears to his eyes. He looked down at the little girl in his arms and gestured out at the water, singing directly to her.

“ _This is your world, my darling_ _  
_ _One world, the land and sea._ _  
__My hope for you for always_ _  
__Is that your heart will hold part of me._ ”

He hugged Melody close as a line of royal guards rose up one by one from the water, their swords were drawn and held high above their heads, signalling the arrival of the King of Berytheas. Hiccup smiled widely in anticipation as Astrid came up behind him to greet her father-in-law. 

A moment later, a large merman with a big, red beard rose from the ocean and created a swell of water that rose him up to the railing of the boat. Stoick the Vast beamed at his son who smiled back at him as he continued to sing with the other humans and merfolk.

“ _Down to the sea we go (Up from the sea)_ _  
_ _Down to the world below (Up from the sea)_  
_Together we come forever to be_ _  
__Under one sun, the land and the sea!_ ”

Stoick raised a hand to Melody’s chin and she giggled in delight. At the sound of her laughter, the King smiled brightly and raised his hammer to create a rainbow in the sky. Every dragon raised their heads and shot blasts of fire into the sky.

Applause and cheers came from both land and sea as the song ended. Stoick leaned over Melody with a gentle smile on his face as Hiccup held her out to him. “My precious Melody, I’m giving you this locket so that you will never forget that part of your heart will always belong to the sea.” He held out the shell necklace with her name on it to Melody and opened it. A glowing ball rose out from it and the image of Berytheas and merpeople swimming around it appeared.

Melody looked at it and smiled happily, cooing and giggling all the while. Both father and son saw this and delighted in the happiness it brought her. Stoick closed the locket and held it out to Melody, but before he could place the necklace around little Melody’s neck, a tentacle shot out from the water and wrapped around her and dragged her away.

“Melody!” Hiccup gasped in horror as his daughter was ripped out of his arms. The sky turned grey as a black squid emerged from the water atop two manta rays.

“Whee! A party!” she cried as they pulled her around the merpeople in circles.

“Look out!” Snotlout cried as Heather and he hid behind Hookfang and Firestorm. “It’s Valka’s crazy half-sister!”

“I didn’t miss the cake and ice cream did I?” Helena asked as she laughed maliciously. Stoick looked at her and his eyes widened but narrowed once she started tickling the baby in her tentacles.

“Helena,” he hissed and brought his hammer up as it glowed gold, ready to strike. “Surrender the baby or I’ll-”

“Ah, ah, ah,” Helena cut him off with a wave off her finger and kissed the little girl on the cheek. “Come now, dear brother. Let us not fight on this most joyous day.”

“Brother?” Astrid asked, clutching onto Hiccup’s arm in worry. 

“Mom’s half-sister,” Hiccup said in answer to her quarry as Helena continued her spiel.

“Excellinor would have simply loved to come, but something came up. Now, what was it?” The squid moved to sit on the railing as she pretended to think hard. “Oh, yes. You all shish-kebabbed her!” 

Hiccup pulled Astrid closer to him as the evil sea witch began bouncing their child in the air. “One minute you’re on top, the next you’re sushi.” She grabbed the front of Gobber’s tunic and pulled him to her. “Now is that fair, gramps? I ask you.” She released him and laughed. “But who said we have to play fair? Oh, Drago,” she called, and right on cue, a menacing fin broke the surface of the sea. 

Attached to the fin was a massive tiger shark who ploughed through the oceans toward his caller. Merpeople shrieked as they rushed to get out of his way. “Make way, little mershrimp! I’m comin’ through.” He settled under where Helena held Melody out and opened his mouth.

“Now, hand over the hammer, Stoick, or your precious granddaughter will be shark chow,” she said, threatening to drop the baby.

Stoick looked down, lowering his hammer. “You can have anything you want. Just don’t harm little Melody.”

Helena smiled in triumph as she neared her nephew and his wife. “Well, well. I get the hammer, avenge poor, unfortunate Excellinor, and gain all the powers of the ocean! And it’s not even 10 o’clock. Not a bad morning.” 

Hiccup glared up at her as Astrid looked around for something she could use. She spotted the sword at her husband’s hip and drew it before slicing it down on a rope. “Hit the deck,” Hiccup yelled as the mast came toppling down. Everyone on the boat heeded his call but Helena wasn’t so lucky. The mast hit her in the stomach, causing her to lose her hold on Melody and fall into the ocean. 

Hiccup watched in horror as his daughter fell toward the sharp jaws of Drago and made a split-second decision. He grabbed a hanging rope and launched himself off the boat just as the shark jumped up into the air. Stoick aimed a blast at the shark and it shrunk down to the size of a piranha as Hiccup caught Melody in his arms.

“Melody,” Astrid cried worriedly as her husband landed on the deck with their daughter safe in his arms. She ran over to them and took her baby into her arms, rocking her gently.

“What have you done to me?” Drago shouted in horror, jumping up and down in the water. “Look at me! I’m an anchovy!”

“This isn’t the end, Stoick!” Helena shouted as she swam away from the group and spun in a circle. “It’s just the beginning!”

“After her!” Stoick ordered angrily, pointing at Helena, but it was too late. Some of the guards dove after her, but they were pushed back as a small whirlpool of black ink formed around her. 

“You’ll never find me, but I’ll find you, and your precious granddaughter!” Her voice rebounded around them as the whirlpool faded away, leaving not a trace of Helena or Drago. The villagers of Berk looked around frighteningly as her evil laughter echoed in the air.

“We shall not rest until that madwoman is vanquished!” Stoick ordered, holding on to his hammer that was glowing brighter after each and every word. He lifted up his hammer to the sky and shouted, “find her! Find her!” At the last word, a bolt of lightning shot upward into the clouds, making them thunder and crack.

Only after many of the mermen and merwomen had gone did Stoick look back to his son. He was holding onto his wife while she had little Melody in her arms, both looking down at the babe worriedly. Hiccup, sensing he was being watched, looked up and met his father’s eyes.

“Don’t worry, son,” Stoick assured him. “She won’t lay a single tentacle on Melody.” Stoick fumed to himself. How _dare_ she go after his granddaughter?! Her _niece_! “We’ll find her,” he swore under his breath, more to convince himself than his son. “We’ll find her.”

…

They didn’t.

It had been a week since Helena had crashed the celebrations, and there was still no sign of her. Stoick had every merman, mermaid, and dragon out searching for her, but they were having no such luck. It was like she had disappeared off the face of the earth. 

Once again, the King and Queen of Berk boarded a ship to meet up with Stoick so that he could update them on the search. It was a small ship and only Gobber, Fishlegs, and few other sailors joined them. They sailed about a few metres away from the back of the castle where the great Sea King came up to talk to them along with Snotlout.

Stoick turned to the family of three and sighed heavily. “I’m sorry,” he said dejectedly. “There’s no sign of her. She’s vanished.” His eyes downcasted and he shrugged his shoulders. “We'll keep trying. We'll...”

“Sweetie, no,” Astrid suddenly interrupted. Melody was reaching out towards the water that helped her grandfather stay afloat and her mother pulled her back. “I don’t understand,” Astrid said, hugging her daughter closer to her. “Why is she doing this?”

Stoick sighed. “Elena seeks to wage war on humans and in order to do that, she needs my hammer.”

“But why does she hate humans so much?” Gobber asked.

There was no answer as the father and son just looked at each other, contemplating what to say. Snotlout bowed his head, a frown set on his face. He knew the reason why. Every merperson in Berytheas knew the reason why. The silence lasted for a few seconds before Hiccup broke it. 

“Because they killed her sister,” he answered softly. Though his voice held no inflexion, his eyes were filled with anger, sadness, and guilt. “It was my fault,” he whispered under his breath, but his father heard it and he set a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“No, it wasn’t, son,” Stoick said with full conviction. “Don’t you ever think that.”

“What happened?” Fishlegs asked.

Hiccup looked down at the deck and blinked. He opened his mouth to answer but nothing would come out.

Astrid went up to her husband, her daughter still held securely in her arms, and rubbed his back soothingly. “You don’t have to tell us if you don't want to,” she assured him softly, glaring at her best friend who held out his hands in defence.

“No,” Hiccup said, shaking his head slightly. “You should know this.” He looked to his father who gave him a short nod before opening his mouth and starting the story.

“I was four when it happened. The oceans were calm one day so we decided to go on a family swim. Heather was just under a year old and didn’t know how to control her fins yet, so she stayed behind. We were passing through the Atlantic when a ship came into view near us. My mother and father warned me not to get too close, but I was too curious to listen. I swam nearer the ship to have a look, but then out of nowhere fishing nets were being thrown into the ocean. My tail got tangled in one of them and I kept struggling but I couldn’t get loose. My mother...” Hiccup swallowed. “My mother swam back to help me. I eventually got free but… but she wasn’t so lucky. I...”

Hiccup paused and opened his eyes. When had he closed them? He blinked to clear the unshed tears from his eyes and inhaled deeply. Astrid put a comforting hand on his shoulder. He looked at his father, who was also looking a little teary-eyed, and he nodded.

“Helena loved her family so much,” Stoick added. “Though she never really liked humans, Helena was able to tolerate them and always kept her distance. But when Valka passed… she changed. It pushed her over the edge and she blamed all of them for every bad thing that ever happened since. I will admit, I did as well, but thankfully Hiccup was able to change that for me.” He smiled at his son and Hiccup returned the gesture. His smile then disappeared as he continued with the story. “But Helena… it didn’t just change her view on humans, it changed her view on merpeople too. When others didn’t share her view, she became overcome with anger. She stopped visiting us and instead isolated herself. In truth, that was the first time I’ve seen her in eighteen years. Helena… Helena’s become dangerous… and I don’t know what to do.”

“We’ve got to keep Melody away from her,” Hiccup said. “Until Helena is found, Melody can’t go in the sea.” He looked down at his daughter who was playing with the shell necklace around her neck and sighed “And neither will I.”

“But, Hiccup,” Snotlout gasped.

“I’m sorry, Snotlout,” he said, turning his attention to his cousin and then his father. “But if Helena is anything like Excellinor, we know she’ll never give up. This is the only way.” He gently lifted the locket off of Melody and handed it to his father. “Melody can't know about merpeople or Berytheas… or even you, Dad.”

Astrid hugged Hiccup tighter. She recognized the sacrifice he was making for their daughter and wanted to make sure that he knew that he had her full support.

Stoick sighed as he took the locket in his hands. He couldn’t bear the thought of being separated from his son _again_ , but for the sake of their family, he knew this had to be done. “Very well, Hiccup,” Stoick said sadly. “You’re right.”

Without another word, Stoick turned and swam away. Toothless and Hookfang were lying a few feet away from the meeting on a large rock outcropping and were watching the scene intently. When the King neared them, their ears perked up.

“Toothless, you are my son’s best friend,” Stoick addressed his Hiccup’s dragon. “Watch over him and his family. Make sure they’re safe,” he pleaded. Toothless’s eyes widened and he sat up straight, nodding.

Snotlout glanced at his cousin sadly one last time before swimming away in the direction the King did. He reached him just in time to see him drop the necklace into the sea, the letters in Melody’s name glinting in the last rays of sunlight before it sank into the darkness of the ocean.


	2. 12 Years Later

It was midday in Berk and everyone in the village was going about their business as usual. Roughly twelve years had passed since their King sacrificed the ocean for his daughter’s safety, and everything was running just as it was before merfolk were known to man. There was just one… minor addition to the island of Berk.

On the beach bordering the ocean, there stood a giant, white, stone wall separating the land from the sea. Other than that, life was normal, and everyone was fine with that… well, mostly everyone.

Wodensfang soared through the village as excited chatter reached his ears, for it was the princess’s birthday, and no one wanted to miss it. He smiled giddily down at the humans as he made his way to the castle to greet his friends. He flew toward a window, but in his haste, he didn’t notice that it was closed and slammed into the glass. After shaking his head to orient himself, he peered inside to see that the castle was full of activity. People flitted this way and that through the halls of the castle, getting ready for the celebration. 

King Hiccup Haddock stood in the centre of the ballroom amidst the hustle and bustle of the servants. “Melody?” Hiccup called, walking around and craning his neck over the castle staff to hopefully catch a glimpse of his daughter. “Melody?” 

Not paying much attention to where he was going, he accidentally bumped into one of the maids of the castle, causing her to drop the pile of towels she was carrying. “Oh, I’m sorry, Flora,” Hiccup said, bending down to gather the dropped load.

Flora chuckled. “It’s quite alright, Your Majesty. Everyone’s a little flustered today, what with the young princess’ party this evening.” 

“Mmh, yes,” Hiccup murmured, handing her the folded towels. “Have you seen Melody by any chance?”

Flora shook her head sadly. “Not since this morning, sire.”

Hiccup sighed and nodded. “Well, thanks anyway,” he said before moving off down one of the corridors to search some more. He pushed through one of the doors to find the only occupant of the room to be the royal chef. 

“Agnar, Melody’s not in here, is she?”

“No, Your Highness,” Agnar answered, “but her birthday cake is. Twelve petite candles. I daresay, this is my best masterpiece yet!”

Hiccup closed the door, smiling and laughing silently to himself. He went to continue his search when a gust of wind came in from the window behind him, and he turned around to see a small, blue sea dragon landing on the windowsill.

“Whoo-wee!” Wodensfang cried. “This is gonna be some kind of shindig. Yes, sir, a real swanky soiree, as they say.” 

“Yes,” Hiccup agreed, “so they say, though there is one thing that could make it better.”

“So, where is the guest of honour?” Wodensfang asked, turning his head left and right as if Melody was going to appear from around the corner.

“I can’t seem to find her,” Hiccup answered. “Do me a favour and see if she’s in the village. Maybe you’ll have more luck in finding her than I do.”

Wodensfang nodded and spread his wings in preparation for take-off. “You betcha’, Hiccup. I’ll be back in a jiffy!”

Hiccup watched him fly off and sighed deeply, his mind going back to the times when he was younger and had been late to celebrations like these. Now he knew what his father felt like all those times.

…

On the other side of the wall, down below on the water’s surface, a black dragon lay on the seafloor, grumbling to himself but paying attention to his surroundings. A few metres away, Melody was swimming in place, watching in awe as a couple of yellow terrors swam in circles around her. She smiled at them before swimming up to the surface above, Toothless right on her heels. 

She broke the surface of the water, gasping for air, and swam over to a rock outcropping, pulling herself out of the water to stand atop it. She placed her bag by her feet just as Toothless’ head broke the water’s surface and Wodensfang flew over to them. 

“Hey, Toothless! Hey, Wodenfang! What’s kickin’?” she asked.

“Uh, what’s kickin’? Hmm… let me see,” Wodensfang said, thinking hard and scratching his head with his tail. “Don’t rush me!”

Toothless huffed and rolled his eyes at the smaller dragon. He then turned to the girl and fixed her with a disapproving glare. Melody saw this and rolled her eyes.

“I know, I know. I’ve heard it from my father enough times I committed it to memory.” Melody then drew herself up and tried to do an impression of her father. “‘It is expressly forbidden for you to be swimming beyond the safety of the sea wall. Any such swimming is a reckless disregard of the rules.’”

Toothless shot her an unimpressed look and Melody couldn’t help but giggle. “Oh, Toothless, I can’t help it. I just love the sea!” 

With that said, she dove back under the ocean, creating a big splash and dousing Toothless with water. The dragon snorted and shook his head to shake the water out. He didn’t bother swimming after her, she was too stubborn to listen to him… just like her father.

Thinking of Hiccup, Toothless decided long ago not to tell him about his daughter’s excursions to the sea. The first reason was that, to his knowledge, it wasn’t hurting anyone. As long as she stayed near the castle and he was always close by if anything did occur, it was fine by him. Second, if Hiccup knew about Melody’s underwater adventures, then sooner or later his father would know about them, and while he  _ is _ the offspring of lightning and death itself, angering the sea king was number one on his list of don’ts.

Unaware of Toothless’ thoughts on the matter, Melody began swimming deeper and deeper underwater, passing different fish on the way down.

“Hi, Melody,” said one of the fish and Melody waved back. She saw a pink shell lying on a rock and placed it in her bag. As she was doing so, a baby terror swam up to her with his tail wrapped around a purple shell. Melody inspected it before giving the terror a thumbs up and holding out her bag for him to drop the shell in. 

She kept swimming in search of more shells to add to her collection. As she swam over a round hole, something shiny caught her eye and she swam back to investigate. She picked up the mysterious object and turned it over in her hands. It was covered in dirt, but it looked to be some sort of shell. She shoved it in her bag and swam up to the surface to show Toothless and Wodensfang.

…

In a cavern in the icy waters far from the kingdoms of Berk and Berytheas, Helena towered over her cauldron where she threw spell after spell into the pot, causing it to glow bright, neon green. Drago floated behind her, peering over her shoulders at the pot and looking annoyed, while her pet manta rays, Viggo and Ryker, watched from across the cave, far enough away from any explosions.

“Ooh-Ooh-Hoo-Hoo, Trust me,” Helena said, rubbing her hands together triumphantly. “This time I'm sure I've got it right.”

“Yeah, that’s what you said last time,” Drago muttered irritatedly, “and I was sore for a week.”

“Oh, stop your carping and stay still.” Helena eyed Drago, framing him with her hands to set her aim.

“Oh, this is gonna hurt,” Drago whimpered, turning away but staying where he was.

Helena cast a spell and a green bolt of lightning shot out of the cauldron and zoomed toward Drago. It hit the shrunken tiger shark and he started to grow larger in size.

“Yes. Yes. YES!” Helena cheered, but she celebrated too early.

“Uh-oh,” Drago said as he heard a pop, and the spell blasted apart, creating little air bubbles. When the bubbles cleared, instead of a large shark, a tiny shrimp floated in its place. Drago looked down at himself and groaned.

Helena looked at him with a dumbfounded expression, her hands still thrown up in mid-cheer, before crying out in frustration. She looked over at her shelf of potions and threw one of them into the cauldron. A green bolt of lightning erupted from it again and hit Drago, this time turning him into a sea slug. 

Drago sighed and Helena grabbed all of her potion bottles and threw them into the cauldron one by one, each spell creating the same result, failure.

From their position across the cave, Viggo and Ryker snickered at Drago’s many different transformations, none of them even a little close to what he wanted. The last spell Helena tried turned Drago back into his previous small form.

“Oh, it’s just no use,” Helena cried, running a hand through her white hair in frustration. She swam over to her shell couch and sank into it, devastated. “The power of the trident is just too strong for me to overcome.”

“I bet Excellinor could have done it,” Drago muttered under his breath, but in the silence of the cave, it echoed over to where Helena sat. 

“What was that you said,” she demanded angrily, turning to glare at the grey fish.

“Nothing,” Drago said, playing innocent. “I’m just saying-” he ducked out of the way as an empty vial was thrown his way.

“Stop criticizing me!” Helena yelled at him and started pacing the cave. “You know, I used to idolize her. All I ever wanted was to be just like her. Learned spells and potions just to impress her, but what did she do? She turned me away!” she snapped. “And look where that got her! Stabbed in the chest by a little girl and her dragon. Well, I’m not making the same mistakes she did. I’ll become a better sea witch than Excellinor ever could be!”

“Well, it’s not Excellinor’s fault I got miniaturized,” Drago interrupted her ranting angrily. “It’s yours!”

“Is not” Helena argued.

“ Your fault we had to hide out here for TWELVE FROST-BITTEN YEARS! ” 

“Is not!”

“ YOUR FAULT WE CAN NEVER SHOW OUR FACES IN POLITE SOCIETY AGAIN! ” Drago yelled, swimming up to Helena angrily, their faces mere inches from each other.

The two glared at each other. With teeth bared. “You’re really pushing it, small-fry,” Helena growled warningly. 

Their heated discussion was interrupted by a sudden green glow coming from Helena’s cauldron, pulling their attention to the image floating above it. They swam to the image to see Melody sitting on a rock and studying the shell necklace in her hands.

Helena and Drago both gasped. “It’s the locket!” “It’s the locket!”

The sea witch laughed excitedly, any memories from the previous fight gone. “ This is just the kind of break in the ice we've been waiting for. When Hiccup’s innocent little daughter uncovers the secret of that locket, she’s going to have lots of questions. And who’ll be right there with all the answers?” Drago grinned as Helena swam to his side, clasping her hands together and arranging her face into a fake pout. “Her dear, sweet Auntie Helena.”

The witch and the fish laughed hysterically at the idea. “She’ll be the perfect tool for Stoick’s undoing!”

“And I’ll get to be big again,” Drago added with a hopeful expression but Helena paid no mind to what he was saying.

“ Finally I'll succeed at the one thing Excellinor never could, ” Helena hissed, her smirk widening by the second.

“Really, really big again!”

“Total domination of the seas!” “I’ll be huge!” Both Helena and Drago yelled respectively as they grabbed onto each other and started twirling around in a sort of dance around the cavern, laughing hysterically all the way. It would only be a matter of time before Melody would come seeking answers, and when it comes… the sea will be theirs.

…

Toothless watched as Melody continued looking at the locket in her hands curiously. The sun was starting to set and he whined loudly to get her attention.

She looked over at him and sighed. “Just a few more minutes, Toothless. I promise.” She looked down at the necklace once more and sighed again. “If my father knew what I was doing, he’d flip.” 

Toothless huffed as Melody dove back into the sea, sighing in exasperation at her stubbornness. Wodensfang suddenly perked up from where he was lying flat on a rock. 

“ I swear, I was supposed to do something here,” the blue dragon said thoughtfully. “But what was it? ”

Toothless rolled his eyes at the smaller dragon and turned his attention back to where Melody was swimming on her back, looking up at the clouds with a slight frown on her face.

“Hey, Toothless?” she called to him. “What does my dad have against the ocean anyway? I mean, how can there be anything wrong with something so...” she paused to look for the right word to describe it, “wonderful?”

Toothless looked at her and shrugged, knowing how important it was that Melody doesn’t know about his friend’s past. Melody giggled and swam over to the rock he was laying on.

“You know what?” she whispered. “Sometimes, I even pretend I have fins.” She sighed as she turned her attention to the giant wall blocking the castle. “I wish I could tell my dad how I feel. But he’d never understand.” She chuckled sadly to herself. “I can talk to fish, but not to him.”

“Wait a minute,” Wodensfang abruptly said. “It just hit me.  How 'bout you tell Hiccup...how you really feel? ”

Toothless slapped the back of the other dragon’s head with his tail as Melody sighed. “Are you kidding? I could never tell him about all this.” She gestured to everything around her. “Where would I even start?”

“What if we all tell him? Huh? Together,” Wodensfang prompted. “We can make a big party out of it.”

Melody gasped as her eyes widened. “The party!” she exclaimed.

“Say, that reminds me of somethin’,” Wodensfang continued, unaware of Melody’s retreating figure as she dove into the sea and started swimming home, Toothless following right behind her. 


	3. The Argument

The party was in full swing by the time Melody made it back to the castle. She swam up to the wall and under it to a small grate at the bottom. One of the pegs was loose so she was able to take it out as she swam through to the other side and put it back in so that no one would ever notice. 

She resurfaced and smiled at her sneakiness but then ducked down in the water as the sound of footsteps reached her ears. She looked across the courtyard to see her father descending the castle steps. When his back was turned away from her, Melody quietly ran to one of the open windows on the ground floor and climbed in. She hid behind a potted plant as a servant passed by, sighing in relief when he turned the corner out of sight.

She quickly and quietly went down the hall, mapping the quickest route to her room. As she walked past the ballroom where her party was held, she accidentally bumped into three of the party’s guests, Leyla and her twin brother Dak and their friend Elbone.

“Oh, Your-Your Highness,” Leyla exclaimed as she looked at Melody’s attire with disdain.

“Sorry, my fault,” Melody apologized, hiding her bag behind her and backing away slowly. Leyla looked down at her own dress and picked up a stray seaweed with disgust. “I gotta go. Can’t go to the party without shoes.”

Once the princess exited around the corner, Leyla turned back to her brother and her friend. “If you asked me, she’s a little strange,” she gossiped.

“I heard she actually talks to fish,” Dak said as the group laughed, not knowing that Melody was listening to their conversation from around the corner. 

Elbone’s voice echoed up to her as he laughed with the siblings. “It should make for an interesting party.” 

She frowned sadly and hung her head as she made her way up the stairs and back to her room.

…

Hiccup walked around on the castle grounds near the wall. It was getting stuffy in the ballroom and he came out to get some fresh air.

He was dressed in dark brown pants and a white shirt with golden buttons and a black belt around his waist. His golden crown rested atop his auburn hair as he leaned against the solid wall. He heard seagulls chirping and he looked up to see the last rays of sunlight disappearing over the top of the wall.

“Oh, I miss you, Dad,” Hiccup whispered to himself, sighing. “I wish you could be here with us.”

He looked around to see if anyone else was in the garden before bending down and running his hands through the cold, familiar seawater coming in from the grates. He sighed in content, closing his eyes and losing himself in his memories of the sea.

“Father?” a voice called from above and Hiccup jerked his eyes open and straightened up, smoothing his shirt in embarrassment. He looked up to see his daughter watching him from her balcony. She wore a pink dress and her hair was brought up into a towel. “What are you doing?”

“Uh, nothing,” Hiccup called back, smiling at her as if there was truly nothing happening. Melody smiled back and retreated back to her room, grateful that she got there before anyone else noticed. She suddenly frowned as she heard her father’s voice yell up to her, “I’ll be right up.”

Melody hastened around her room, grabbing a pair of shoes from her closet and her sash hanging from the vanity mirror. She heard her father call out her name from outside her door as she placed her tiara atop her jet black hair. She saw her bag full of seashells on the floor just as the handle of her door began to turn and she quickly kicked it under her bed.

Hiccup walked into the room to see his daughter standing by the vanity and smiling at him. “I’m ready,” she said, giving him a small curtsy.

Hiccup chuckled. “You look beautiful, sweetheart. There are a lot of people downstairs waiting to see you.”

“Do I have to do this?” Melody sighed, sinking into the chair and looking at herself in the mirror. “Everybody thinks I’m weird.”

“Oh, honey,” Hiccup said, walking to her bed and sitting down on the edge. “Everyone has trouble fitting in at your age. I know I did. I was a regular fish out of water.”

“You? No way.” Melody looked at her father in surprise, not believing him at all when he said that. She got up from her seat and walked out on the balcony and Hiccup followed, watching her sadly. “I’m just so afraid I’m gonna make a total fool of myself.” 

Hiccup watched as she looked down at the line of guests who were still arriving at the castle and then to the big wall separating Berk from the sea. He sighed, getting the inkling that there was more to this than his daughter was letting on.

“Melody, this isn’t about the party, is it?” he asked softly, walking up behind her and placing a hand on her shoulder. “Is there something you want to talk about? You know you can always tell me anything.”

Melody looked at her father’s smiling face and encouraging eyes before looking out at the sea. Would it really be that bad if she told him how she felt? Making up her mind, she turned back to him and answered. “Well… okay. I mean, it’s kinda crazy and sorta impossible.  Now, don't freak out, but what I dream about more than anything in the whole world... ”

She was suddenly interrupted by a knock from behind them and she turned to see her mother standing by the door to the balcony.

“How’s it coming?” She then caught sight of Melody and smiled warmly. “Oh, Melody. Is that you?” She walked closer to her daughter. “You look beautiful.”

Hiccup chuckled and gave Astrid a peck on the cheek. “Your mother’s right, as always.” She was wearing a beautiful purple ball gown and her tiara nestled atop her gorgeous blonde locks. He put an arm around her daughter’s shoulders and smiled. “We’ll talk later. You’re going to have a wonderful time tonight. Trust me.”

Melody looked up at her parents and nodded. She was a little put out by having the moment with her dad interrupted, but that could wait until later. “Can’t wait,” she said half-heartedly before putting on a bright smile. “I’ll meet you guys in the ballroom.”

“Alright, sweetie,” Astrid said, giving Melody a quick kiss on the forehead before walking out the door. 

Hiccup went to do the same and removed his arm from around her shoulders before frowning. “Why is your hair wet?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, um, I guess I forgot to blow dry it after my bath,” Melody lied and her father nodded, seeing the sense in her explanation.

“Okay,” Hiccup said. “I’ll see you downstairs, sweetheart.” He walked out the door and met his wife out in the hallway. He took her hand in his and together they made their way down to the ballroom.

“She’ll be okay, right?” Astrid murmured to her husband as they neared the music and chatter of the ballroom.

“Of course she will,” Hiccup answered as they crossed the threshold into the room from the second floor. The small orchestra they had hired for the event was just finishing up their previous song while princesses and princes danced. Down below they could hear Gobber clearing his throat to announce their presence.

“Ahem, may I present, Hiccup and Astrid Haddock, King and Queen of Berk.”

Astrid and Hiccup descended the stairs arm in arm amidst the applause, waving to the people below and smiling brightly. When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Gobber cleared his throat again and got the audience’s attention once more. 

“And now, may I present, Her Royal Highness, Princess Melody.”

Melody appeared at the top of the stairs, smiling graciously, and descended to the continued applause.

“Oh, yeah, Dad’s right,” Melody said to herself through her wide smile, making sure to look where she was going. “I can do this.” She reached the bottom of the stairs and bowed to those nearest. A boy with blond hair and blue eyes came up to her and bowed deeply.

“Um, hi. My name is Axel. Would you like to dance?” He asked and held his hand out to her. Melody looked at the proffered hand and back to her parents who were urging her to accept.

She turned back to the boy and smiled. “Sure, okay.” She took his hand and together they walked out on the dance floor.

Hiccup and Astrid watched them with bright smiles while Astrid crossed her fingers behind her back in a sign of good fortune.

The band started to play and the two dancers settled into a nice waltz. As the dance continued, Melody became more confident in her dancing skills and relaxed her shoulders as they spun across the floor. She had to admit, she was beginning to have fun and she smiled up at him.

As they continued to dance, the water from her hair started to drip, and soon, the floor underneath them became slick with seawater. Axel stepped back to spin the princess, he lost his footing as he slipped on a puddle of water.

“Whoa!” he yelled as he fell backwards, trying to get his feet back under him. There was a table behind him with a punch bowl on top and he grabbed onto the edge of it to try to orient himself but instead flipped the table on its side, sending the bowl to crash atop his head and the ladle to fly up into the air.

Unfortunately, Agnar chose that moment to enter and wheel Melody’s tall birthday cake in. “Oh, no,” Melody said as she watched the metal spoon crash into the top tier and the cake exploded, flinging cake everywhere. 

“Ugh, well I’ll say,” Axel said as two others helped him up. He was doused in punch and it was starting to stick. “This is by far the worst party I’ve been to.”

Some people giggled. “Watch out. The Princess of Mess strikes again,” Leyla commented and that sent the other guests into a fit of laughter.

Melody dropped her head into her hands and ran back up the stairs to return to her room.

“Melody,” Astrid called, but the princess ignored her and ran past, leaving the wrecked ballroom behind her.

…

In her room, Melody was sobbing on her bed, her dress laid out on the vanity chair and her shoes thrown on the floor. She looked at her collection of shells and picked up the yellow one she had found that day, hugging it close to her as she cried.

The door to her room opened and a second later her father sat on the side of her bed. “Oh, sweetheart,” Hiccup said, placing a hand on her chin to catch her attention. “I’m so sorry.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Melody cried with tears in her eyes.

“Oh, nothing’s wrong with you.”

“Dad, I’m the princess of disaster.” 

Hiccup sighed and tried to think of a way to comfort his daughter. “Being a teenager  is hard, and, uh, all kids your age feel... awkward, and... ”

Melody fiddled with the shell in her hands, brushing some of the dirt of its surface. “‘Melody?’” she read. “What is this? My name’s on here.” She opened the locket and a glowing ball rose out from it as Hiccup gasped at the familiar sight. Melody watched in awe as she saw a castle with merpeople swimming around it and a lullaby played. “That song. Where have I heard it? It’s Berytheas, with merpeople and everything. Father, you always said it was just an old fish tale.”

Hiccup took the locket from Melody and snapped it shut, inspecting it in his hands. “Where did you get this?”

“I-I found it,” Melody said hesitantly, rocking herself on her bed.

“You went over the wall, didn’t you?” Hiccup accused, trying to keep himself from yelling but failing.

“Actually, I went under it,” Melody corrected, not meeting her father’s gaze. “I hate that stupid wall.”

“Melody, you know you’re not allowed into the sea!”

“But why?” Melody stood on top of her bed and pointed at the locket in Hiccup’s hands. “And why does that necklace have my name on it?”

“Melody, listen to me-”

“You’re hiding something from me,” Melody interrupted, realisation dawning on her. 

Hiccup looked at his daughter in frustration and snapped. “You deliberately disobeyed me! I never want you going out there again. Do you hear me? It’s dangerous in the sea!”

“How would you know!” Melody yelled. “You’ve never even been in it!” She grabbed the necklace from her father’s hand and ran out of the room, sobbing.

“Melody,” Hiccup called after his daughter but she ignored him, running past her mother at the door.

Astrid turned to her husband for answers just to see him sitting on Melody’s bed with his head in his hands.

“Oh, no.” Hiccup felt so disappointed in himself. As soon as his daughter ran out of the room in tears, he instantly regretted their argument. Her last words brought back the memory of his last argument with his father when he was a merman, and guilt started washing over him in waves. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his wife, who he had not noticed entering the room, standing over him.

“Hiccup,” Astrid said softly, sitting next to him on the bed, “we knew this day would come.”

Hiccup sighed and nodded. “Oh, Astrid. You’re right. It’s time I trusted her with the truth.” He hugged her close to her as they both stood up and walked to the door, intent on finding a certain princess.

…

Melody kept running and running through the halls to get to the only place where she ever felt free. She passed by servants rushing to clean the castle after the tragic celebration and finally reached the back doors of the castle leading out into the courtyard.

She started pacing back and forth in front of the wall angrily, deep in thought. She was just so mad at her father and had so many questions fluttering around in her mind. Why wouldn’t he let her go in the sea? What was he hiding from her?

She looked down at the necklace in her hands curiously. If it has her name on it, then it must be for her, but why? What was it about this locket that made her father flip out? She looked up at the looming wall before her, then back to the castle, and finally back to the wall. If her own family couldn’t answer her questions, then she would find someone who could. 

With a determined look, she set off for the grate under the wall with the loose peg. Once she was on the other side, she took one of the small wooden boats that she found a week ago and pushed it into the water. 

Just as she was about to climb aboard, she heard a loud thump from behind her and turned around to see Toothless landing a few feet away. He bounded toward her and gave her a curious expression. His gaze turned to the boat in the water behind her and his eyes widened, roaring softly so as not to alert the rest of the castle.

“Don’t try to stop me, Toothless. I just need to figure this out,” she said to him as she got into the boat. “This necklace means something, and if no one's gonna tell me… I'm gonna find out myself.” She took up the oars and started paddling away from Berk.

Toothless watched her go, unable to persuade her to come back. Hiccup, he suddenly thought to himself, he had to tell Hiccup. No matter what the consequences would be, this was way too important. He flew off toward the castle to find his friend, unaware that he wasn’t the only one watching Melody leave.

Helena watched the events from her cave and laughed gleefully. “Oh, this is delicious. This is divine!”

“Let’s go, flatsos,” Drago growled at Viggo and Ryker. “The fun’s starting right now.” With that said, the group of three swam out of the cave to find and meet up with the young princess.

“Hurry, Drago!” Helena called giddily. “There’s a little girl out there who needs our help.” She smiled evilly to herself as she turned back to the image of Melody paddling to who-knows-where. She could feel the power drawing nearer and nearer. Soon, all of the seven seas will be hers, and no one, not even her dear brother, would be able to stop her.


End file.
